Space Based Solar Power (SBSP)

[Apollo22]

Between 1976 and 1980 NASA churned large studies of Space Based Solar Power. The heavy lifting would have been done by super heavy launchers like Boeing Space Freighter and Rockwell Star Raker - https://spaceflighthistory.blogspot.com/2020/09/star-raker-1978.html

The Space Shuttle got a role in the SBSP plans : as a Personnel Launch Vehicle, with a 50 - 75 - 100 passenger module in the payload bay; and a brand new booster in place of the SRBs. The latter borrowed from the 1971 Space Shuttle studies : either a recoverable, 4 x F-1A booster or a big dumb booster parachuting and splashing in the ocean; with propane rather than kerosene. The external tank length would be slashed.

From the NTRS I've downloaded a whole lot of PLV-related documents. I attach them to this post, because you never know what could happen to the NTRS those days (sigh).

[floss]

Earth has plenty of resources of its own

[spacenut]

I read back in the late 70's that a 1 square mile of solar panels in space in continuous sun, could produce as much power as a nuclear power plant.  The power would be beamed to earth either by laser or microwave beams to collectors that would convert it into power for the grid.  Problem was the beams would be so powerful that you couldn't fly a plane through them or it would kill birds. 

Well, windmills kill birds.  There is that, but Elon Musk said if you build 100 miles x 100 mile or 1,000 square miles of solar panels in the desert say in Nevada, you could power the entire US.  You would have to have large back up batteries for night use which cost more than the solar panels. 

[daedalus1]

Too expensive compared to ground systems.

[floss]

Make antimatter is what you do with large solar plants  off earth  it will  probably be banned on earth .